Since we cannot go on actual group walks (or bike rides), we will be going on Virtual City Walks every second Sunday, until cycling starts in the spring. The virtual city walk consists of a Zoom video conference and will simulate a real City Walk using Google Maps, Street View and other websites.
On Sunday, May 2, please join us for the Virtual City Walk – St Clair to the Brickworks. We will start from St Clair Station (on the Yonge Line), head eastwards and southwards to the Brickworks, pausing to look at interesting things along the way, such as the St Clair Viaduct, the MacLennan Ave. pedestrian bridge, Chorley Park, and others.
The route is 6.3 Km and is available on Ride with GPS at: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35879382. It does not return to the start. Perhaps on another walk, we will make it back, although this may be the last Virtual City Walk, as the weather is getting nice enough to go cycling.
The Zoom video conference will start at 9:45 AM on Sunday, and we will begin the virtual walk at about 10:10 AM. Typically the virtual walks last until 11:30 or noon, feel free to drop out or rejoin at any time.
If you are not already on my Virtual City Walk email list, please send an email to citywalks@tbn.ca letting me know who you are, and asking to be added the list. If you are on the list, I will email you the link to join the conference (probably by Saturday evening).
Please join early, at 9:45 AM, to enjoy a few minutes of chatting with your friends before we set out. I expect the walk will last about an hour. We can also have a chat at the end, if anyone is interested.
When you connect, you will be placed in the “waiting room”, and I will then admit you to the actual video conference. If you are late joining us, or get dropped and rejoin, I may not notice you in the “waiting room”, so please:
- message my cell at 416-917-8866, if that is not successful,
- call my cell at 416-917-8866, if that is not successful,
- call my home at 905-881-9259,
and I will let you into the video conference.
Also, Jane’s Walks will be taking place next weekend. From Friday, May 7 to Sunday, May 9, they will be offering self-guided walks, live-streamed walks, and virtual 3D walks. The list of walks is available at https://www.janeswalkfestivalto.com/walking-map. Live Stream walks require registration. There are also additional activities such as panel discussions, movie screenings, yoga, and baking. The Festival Launch on Friday at 7 PM includes a night of Virtual Trivia. The website for Toronto Jane’s Walks is https://www.janeswalkfestivalto.com/.
Zoom allows you to control your microphone and camera. You can mute your microphone so that no one can hear you, and you can start or stop your video feed, so that people can either see you or not. I will initially let everyone control their own microphone, so we can have discussions, but if there are too many people, or if it gets too chaotic, I will mute all microphones. There is a “raise hand” feature that will allow people to request permission to speak. Zoom also includes a chat feature which allows you to send text messages to everyone in the conference, or privately to one other individual. Zoom is very easy to use, but you might want to download the free app before the meeting, and play with it a bit to get used to using it.
If you have any questions, email me at citywalks@tbn.ca.
John Burdett - City Walks Coordinator
